The Rise of Social Media and Its Impact on Mainstream Journalism

Traditional Journalism For most of American history, newspapers dominated the production and dissemination of the news The flow of information was distributed using a “top down” approach

The Role of Gatekeeper Gatekeeper: “middleman” or mediator from which consumers receive their information Traditionally occupied by large news corporations and the mainstream media

Web 2.0 Includes features and functionality that was not available in the past Allows communication and networking among Internet users Some examples of features considered to be part of Web 2.0 are: -Blogs -Wikis -Social networking -Web applications

Citizen Journalism Outsiders of all kinds can probe more deeply into newsmakers’ businesses and affairs They can disseminate information more widely and quickly Current technology makes it easier to gain support from like-minded people Information can be easily accessed and made almost instantly available via the Internet

News Distribution Social media platforms have helped expedite the flow of information An increase in citizen journalism has given consumers additional sources to retrieve their news The mainstream media now shares the role of news distributor with citizen journalists

Occupy Wall Street A protest movement that took place on September 17, 2011, in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City’s Wall Street financial district Main issues raised were: Social and economic inequality Greed Corruption and the perceived influence of corporations on government

Mainstream Media Coverage Bias in their news coverage Only began to cover the movement after arrests started taking place Criticized protesters Generalized the protest as a “hippie movement” Little interest in reporting on behalf of the protestors

The Underlying Problem The corporations being protested against, owned many of the large news outlets covering the movement The mainstream media is bias It is not in their best interest to fully report the issues brought up in this protest movement

Role of Citizen Journalism Report with an unbiased opinion Find the true meaning behind the protest Help the public better understand our financial system Spread the ideals of the movement to a mass audience Give the public the ability to view images, videos and interviews not available through the mainstream media

Conclusion The role of “gatekeeper” has changed hands due to social media The mainstream media now shares the role of news distributor Consumers have more options to retrieve their news, as well as contribute to it The public is more empowered to form and shape their own opinions Lessened dependency on the mainstream media In the case regarding Occupy Wall Street, social media not only helped organize the movement but was vital in it’s unbiased news coverage Without the help of social media, Occupy Wall Street would have never received the fair and true attention that it did